My Route


For more detailed maps, scroll down through the blog. Click on any one to enlarge it; use the backspace button to return to the blog. That goes for the photos, too.

Saturday

Day 36: Monday, 6th August. Destination: The Loome Family, Stillwater, Minnesota

Next, on my route up the Mississippi, a hop across the river for a brief 24 miles or so in Wisconsin, over Diamond Bluff to a small town called Prescott, where lies the lovely Strawberry Fields café. Inside the café, one whole wall was shelved with a fabulous and rather groovy collection of LP records and another with pulp fiction book covers, so I had to stay and browse. Got talking to the owner, Mandy, who turned out to be just as groovy as her record collection. Enjoyed a fabulous bowl of oatmeal (mmm... oatmeal!) with maple syrup, and chatted about music. Could've stayed all day. Oatmeal was on the house (figuratively, not literally, I'm glad to say) - thanks M! And finally, Stillwater - end of another map...

...Back in Monroeville (day 24) at the Cyclists Lodging, I'd photocopied a hand-written note offering free accommodation to cylists in Stillwater, so I followed the sketch map up the hill and found the big blue house as described. There lived the lovely Loome family, who opened their doors to me and made me feel totally welcome. The note had been left by David Loome (currently away walking), and I spent the afternoon playing with the family cat before popping down to the library (to catch up on some blogging), and the evening chatting and eating pizza with his mother Karen and sister Cecilia, before being tucked up in a lovely, comfy bed. Thank you so much, D, K & C for such a memorable stay. Without doubt, the best evening of my trip so far. I'm now at the end of another map, and the next section has sat in front of me this afternoon, sorting out accommodation & route breakdown with Karen's help.